Japan.
For some gamers, it is considered a "rakuen", a paradise, the promised land. For others, it is the bane of the industry itself. One thing, however, is most definitely clear. Like it or hate it, Japan is responsible for keeping the arcade industry alive, long after it died out in other parts of the world. Today's list represents a few little-known, surprising, or unexpected facts regarding Japan's arcades.
Of course, before any list like this, a disclaimer: I have spent a great deal of time in Japan and have frequented several different types of arcades - however, this list is taken from my personal experiences and opinions, and as with many of these lists, your mileage may vary. That said, on to the list!
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At E3 this year, Microsoft announced a service in which 360 users could download popular titles onto their consoles. This service would be much more efficient than the current one, as these titles could be bought with straight up cash instead of the proprietary Microsoft Points. Soon after, this service was named Games on Demand.
Contrary to what was posted earlier, North America will have a list of 24 games available at launch on August 11. Games on Demand is just one of many services encompassed in Microsoft's latest update. Other features include an improved Avatar marketplace and expanded Netflix. For a full list of features, click here.
After the cut is a list of the 24 titles available at launch. Read More

In an interesting twist (I guess, maybe they do this all the time, and I never noticed), Nintendo has released their US game line-up for the second half of 2008 and into 2009... to Europe.
Some highlights included on the list are Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Call of Duty World at War, Guitar Hero World Tour, Skate It, Mushroom Men, two Star Wars games, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers, Sonic Unleashed, Ghostbusters, and quite a bit more.
Better still, Nintendo says that this is an "incomplete" list, meaning more titles could sneak their way into the lineup. Here's hoping more from the Big N themselves.
For the full bill of goods (as it stands), both good and bad, click the jump. Read More